Understanding nanotechnology

Nanotechnologies have the potential to offer a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits. We’re committed to capturing these benefits in a safe and socially responsible way.

The Challenge

Tiny science, with big potential

Nanoparticles (or nanomaterials) are extremely small chemicals or objects with dimensions of 1-1000 nanometres. That's about an 8,000th of a human hair in width or equal to one billionth of a metre.

Nanomaterials occur naturally in our environment, in things like clay, volcanic ash, ocean spray and even milk. They can also be manufactured for use in a range of everyday commercial products.

The prevalence of manufactured nanoparticles is increasing and new developments have led to significant advances across a broad range of applications including electronic, medical, and environmental.

Nanoparticles may be more conductive, stronger, or more chemically reactive than larger particles of the same substance. That means smaller amounts of the chemical in nano form can be used to achieve the same effects, making a product cheaper, or the same quantities can be used to create an enhanced product.

Paving the way to new products

Through development of new products and processes, nanotechnology will potentially contribute solutions to major issues facing Australia, including:

renewable energy sources

increased strength in our manufacturing industries

secure water supplies

improved human health and wellbeing

a more sustainable environment.

There are a large range of products using nanomaterials that are available on the market.

Dr Maxine McCall: Nanoparticles are objects or chemicals that occur in really, really tiny form of the order of 1 to 100 nanometres.

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To put that in perspective, the width of the human hair is about 800 times bigger than a nanoparticle.

Nanoparticles are manufactured but they also occur naturally.

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They occur in milk, they're generated in bushfires and they occur in volcanic ash. Nanotechnologies have the potential to offer a wide range of economic, social and environmental benefits.

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The small size of nanomaterials confer different properties than larger particles of the same substance, for example they may be more conductive or stronger or even more chemically reactive and its these different properties that make nanomaterials useful.

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CSIRO has a comprehensive research program to investigate the safety aspects of nanomaterials.

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One of the areas we work in is developing methods to detect nanoparticles, for example to detect nanoparticles in our workplace and measure exposure or even to detect nanoparticles generated in bushfires.

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We're also looking at nanoparticles and their effect on human health, specifically looking at products that humans use that contain nanoparticles.

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One of these products is sunscreens and we have quite a large project to look at whether or not nanoparticles in sunscreens penetrate human skin and what the biological effects might be.

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Another area where we're working is looking at the effects of nanomaterials released to the environment. For example we have a study where we're looking at nanoparticles combusted in diesel fuels and whether or not they are transformed when released to the environment.

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Once in the environment nanoparticles might enter the food chain so we have a study with radioactively labelled nanoparticles added to algae and sediment and we're looking at transfer up the food chain to snails and prawns.

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All the data generated from our experimental research program goes to a theoretical program where we're developing models to predict the biological effects of nanomaterials based on their physical and chemical properties.

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CSIRO's Nanosafety team works very closely with Australian government departments and regulators. The information we generate can be used by policy makers in Australia for the safe use of nanomaterials.

Our Response

Nanotechnologies have the potential to offer significant contributions to human health, the environment and Australian industry.

Yet, many of the same novel characteristics that make nanomaterials promising for new manufacturing opportunities could also present new risks to humans or the natural environment.

We are committed to capturing the benefits of nanotechnologies in a safe and socially responsible way.

We undertake nanotechnology research in areas as diverse as environmental sensing technology, water purification and desalination, flat solar cells and nutritionally enhanced food ingredients.

We are also investigating the health and safety aspects of using nanotechnology, and its impact on the environment, helping to inform Australian Government policy and regulation relating to nanotechnologies and nanomaterials with safety in mind.

Our work in the area focuses on nanoparticles and their effects in the workplace, on human health and on the world we live in.

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Nanosafety: the big picture

What are nanoparticles?

Chemicals or objects 1-100 nanometres

That's about an 8,000th of a human hair width

They have unique characteristics

Nanoparticles occur naturally in the environment

Clay

Volcanic ash

Milk

Ocean spray

They are also manufactured for use in everyday products:

Next-gen computer chips

Medical implants

Sunscreens and cosmetics

Sporting equipment

Why do we need to research nanosafety?

Nanoparticles can be more conductive, stronger or chemically reactive than larger particles of the same substance.

The properties that make nanomaterials promising for manufacturing could also present new, unknown risks.

Our research seeks to find out what potential effects nanoparticles have in the workplace, on human health and on the world.

This research helps to inform Australian Government policy regulators.

We're committed to capturing the benefits of nanotechnologies in a safe and socially responsible way.